Sod-cutting tool



July 5, 1932.

w. J. ABERLE 1,866,073

s01) CUTTING TOOL Filed June 10, 1930 Patented July 5, 1932 a wnmnm Ji :ABEEELE, on-rasAnnn-a, onnrnonnm.

l apnea ele iene .1

ibi -invent on r l t s.t flsodre tie teel 9f t e .eh-a eeter.. mp yed f r elltt gleut -e reuler pieee 'f .sed-

.Snr ekle ystemsfi erl wns large- -ly i sed .ferirri etion tle l s .A sp inkle system o thi leha e er .ina re he use ,o

sprinkler heads spaced at intervals inflthe lean thati teb pri kled, end t pr k er heads a e ple ed -e a e e ent y 1 .leve so that when t e awnmowe is pera its e es the lawn th bl de of th m w wilLxnot: strike the sprinkler heads. the

gra s g ew-s tee le'se eth p ii sk rlieed evenvthough it be cut short it will soongrow to e he sh tha interfe th th Pr p SP. d;Q 'W?- Q a e; th pr nkle heads, -,pe ztiea th spray tr ki g t blade o zt iat r .Ine d o r i lth idi fie y m nt n ab ve, it. i ens ema y eee -ou e r ng efse amend ea h -sp i nk er-hee end, hee es of the growth of the sod, it i s of,course,'necessaryto uite frequently cut away the sod from around the sprinkler heads.

An object of this invention is to facilitate the operation of cutting away the sod as men- 7 tioned above.

Other objects are simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention:

Figure 1 is a broken view, mainly in vertical midsection, of a sod-cutting tool constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention. 7

Figure 2 is a plan view, partly in section, from the line indicated by 2--2, Fig. 1. The cutters are omitted.

Fig. 3 is a reduced horizontal section on the line indicated by 3-3, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4- is a fragmental sectional elevation on the line indicated by 4-4:, Fig. 1. 7

Fig. 5 is a side view of a modified form of Y W g V p f I to a em he 2 whi i ada ed to sm [up and down on the shafit 16, said cross h'ead sod-cutting tool embodying the invention.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line indicated by 6-6, Fig. 5. I

First describing that form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there are ab e es, f eke presided eeaee t s al r "end eete ey i r 1 f l i ea sette .ee ;8,.- e hhie t cutting ed e are lldieetesl e1 9 and LQ; reslie y- JIJ this inst-we t e el es 9., .1 as ser nely serrated: Eeegh th .es tt s is el ew y inder, the diam ter at theiaeereette be- 7 ing sufliciently great to easily surround a pr nkl hee s a t mak 1 .eireii a we amend eidl ad- Th emt ege s 9 Bee erab y, i at e highe l ve han h set ifi e seQaend the s tt 8 is el Leee s serh 3' larger di me e th i a ea utte gisefls 9- e t th me ies e .eilte' ler e f nfthe, slid a e ili t eld st nee rem th n iek e .hee

Q' eeeted with the este wer a as .te g inwa dly t the in er i l t e i i we. bla e .lll eti er iresieia e herize el utting ed e 2- -;Lniti ;ll 1st l 5i theb ede' ll is se el eesifi mittens reey'sei ,;by e .se' ewe rivetl3.- @[lheblade ,1 1 pr .eslant upward y .tr'q it .Q p iwe d-e da a sa-i .hladei Pesi fqa d .sethei lthe settin -;e .1 e 2 hereefis semenhet sho e the fleii of he ett gedse-lQ- I 1 Th eppenendisef h e t =1 8. a 1 lee -iieeted el eethe by e1;heedii "150' whieh seei e blx extend Cured}esi ysq wie i etglfi 1 B). eidhs d lisha .ifi heea .e ...ens re ie i e u .e esswmemb 7 tha qestite e a :Iread ie ep lzetiqn. e thete lillh eeest' eetien ,d ssribed shor .meYab .emnlered d p nde ye h teatelte 1 1 to @be -deserfii d' ithin th sett r? i e .plenser 189i .annel rshan n e 'd d with isle .19 refes ze t permi -p th phieger l pass n the .bled -Nihen .seid please i .mer ito helowenend eith eet je fi 'if Al actuat ng i mended fte th plun a d. in th jester-nee, sai me ine egdesaed fifl. eeiucedatth lewe ea {to he '.phil se 1 and. peeat es thrill fi .holesgl infh JA-eed .4- The iesi Q,i :t iiest ne ia t re i embe eadaees eere at thei up e ..en.dsa i any u a manne eaaamh neege in number of timesin order to cut the sod to the cutter 8 to penetrate the sod. This produces two circular cuts, one immediately surround/1' ing the sprinkler head and one a short distance from said sprinkler head. The operator then rotates the tool by means of the handle 17 so as to cause the blade 11 to make a horizontal cut inthe sod to free the ring of sod from the earth. This horizontal cut may made of any desired depth according to the amountvofpressure brought to bear on the tool. The .cut may be made by rotating the tool once ;or the tool may be rotated a desired depth.

.After the sod has will be raised and placed over another sprinkler head and the foregoing described operations repeated. In event of the sod or dirt sticking within the cutter 8. it may be expelled as, for example, by the operator placing his footon the cross-head 22 and depressingit, thus causing the plunger 18 to descend to the cutting edge 10, thereby expelling any material that may not havereadily freed itself .from the cutter 8, and periphery of the cutter 7, when thetool was raised from the earth after cutting awa-ythe sod from around the sprinkler head.

Now describing the formof theinvention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. the elements that functionally correspond to those described above in connection with Figs. 1 to 4, are inbeen cutaway, the tool vided with a laterally extending tread member 25 on which the operators foot may be placed to force the cutter into the sod. The preferred form of the tool may also be forced into the sod by pressure of the operators foot when the foot is 'placedon the head 14.

I claim: 1 3

1. A sod-cutting tool comprising an inner member having a downwardly directed cutting edge all portions of which are equally spaced from a common vertical axis, an outer member attached to said inner member and having a downwardly directed cutting edge all-portions of which are equally spaced from said vertical axis a greater distance than said first edge, sod ejecting means'normally positioned between said members above said .edges, means for forcing said ejecting means downwardly toward said edges and a handle attached to saidinner and outer members for rotating said members about said vertical axis.

2. A sod-cutting tool comprising concentric hollow cylindrical cutting members, a blade between the cutting members secured to one of said cutting members and provided with a horizontal cutting edge,a head connecting the cutting members, a stem connected with the head and provided with a handle, an annular plunger between the cutting members, a cross-head shiftable along the stem, means connecting the cross-head with the plunger and passing through holes in the head, and a coil spring surrounding the stem between the head and the cross-head. Signed at Los Angeles, California, this' ith day of June, 1930.

WILLIAM J. ABERLE."

V dicat'ed by the same reference characters with the addition of the suifix a. In this instance,

1 there are two cutter blades 11a, said cutter i I blades being at different levels so that when 7 I as the tool is rotated, the lower blade willmake the cut at one level and the upper blade at a higher level. In this instance, the blades 110 are secured in any suitable manner to and pro ect laterally from the periphery of the cutter 7a. The cutters 11a are semi-circular,

the rear end of the upper one extending over the forward edge of the lower one so that any cut material discharging from the upper blade will discharge onto the lower blade.

The outer edges of the cutters 1111. are provided with downwardly projecting cutting edges 10a which are semi-circular so that they together make a circular cut when the tool is forced into the sod and turned. This modified form of the invention operates the same as described above for the preferred form. and, when the tool is' turned, thecutting edges 10a produce a circular out while the blades 11a make ahorizontal out.

The headl ta, in this instance, may be pro I 

